War-ship.



No. 647,774. Patented Apr. I7',J |900.

G. W. VAN HOUSE.

wAnl SHIP.

(Application 81nd Jan. 3, 1900.)

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet I.

W/TNESS 'g /f f AJTORNEYS Pa'tented Apr. I 7, |900.

G. W. VAN HOUSE.

WAR SHIP.

Appunti med am. 3, moo.)

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

I /N VE N TO/ THE Nomvs Pcrzns co, Pnuuuwo.. wnsmuaron. D. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE XV. VAN IIOOSE, OF TUSOALOOSA, ALABAMA.

WAR-SHIP.

SPECIFICATION forming part f Letters Patent NO. 647,774, dated April. 17, 1900. Application iled January 3, 1900l 'Serial No. 255. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Beit known thatl, GEORGE WTAN HoosE, of Tuscaloosa,in the county of Tuscaloosa and State ot' Alabama, have invented a new and useful Improvement in lVar-Ships, of which the following is a specification.

Inv modern naval warfare the success ofthe battle is to be determined, other things being equal, by the amount ot metal which the ship is capable of hurling at the enemy. One element of weakness in the modern war-ship is to be found in the fact that in engaging an enemy upon one side a large proportion of the guns ofthe main battery on the other side must necessarily remain inactive, which Agreatly subtracts from the total capacity of `the said main battery. It is obvious that if .the guns of the main battery on both sides of the ship were so arranged that all could be concentrated upon an enemy on one side it would add greatly to the efficiency of the warship and,- other things being equal, would determine the tide of battle.

The object of my invention is to provide a war-ship that will permit this result to be attained; and to'that end it consists in such construction and arrangement of rising-and-falling and rotating turrets as will permit them to have two planes oil' re, the lower plane being the normal position when the guns are trained away from the center of the ship and the upper plane of fire being toward and across the center of the ship and above the upper works, as will be hereinafter more fully described.

Figure l is a side elevation of my war-ship. Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof. Fig. 3 is an enlarged cross-section through one of the barbettes and turrets of the main battery, and Fig. at is va cross-section on line 4f et of Fig.

In the drawings, X represents the hull of the ship. A is the upper deck, A the upper works above the upper deck, and A2 the water-line deck below the upper deck. These are all to be constructed in the usual approved Way and are suitably protected by armor at all vulnerable points.

B are the loarbettes,` which at the outboard side extend up to and a little above the upper deck and on the inboard side extend up to the top ofthe upper works. These barbettes are suitably supported and braced in the manner shown or in any other way acceptable to naval constructors.

The turret is made two-storied and of unusual height. (See Fig. Its upper portion C, which project-,s above the upper deck A, is heavily armored, while its lower portion O', which is never exposed to projectiles, is made much lighter. In the center ot' the lower portion of the turret is arranged a large and rigidly-attached tube C3, projecting .above the lower floor C2 of the turret and extending to and supporting the gun-floor C5 of the upper story. This tube C3 extends also below the bottom of the turret and is connected at its lower end to plunger' O4, which plays in a hydraulic cylinder E, which is supplied with water from a pump F and which constitutes the hydraulic lift of the turret,- which lift is of any well-known or approved construction and need not be further described. The upper portion of the turret has the usual vconning-tower D and carries the gun G, here crudely mounted, but which in practice is to be mounted and adjusted in the approved style of modern war-ships. A tube I-I, formf ing part of an ammunition-hoist, leads from the lower deck to the gun. Theturret when in its lowest position rests with its licor C2 upon a turn-table T, mounted on rollers r'. This turn-table has fixed to its lower sidev in central position a downWardly-projecting flange embracing the tube C3 of the turret and has hangers or brackets a extending at intervals around the same and inclosing a swiveling collar I. This collar is made very stout and strong and has four or more notches t' (see Fig. 4) in its inner periphery, which are adapted to receive vertical ribs or flanges c, arranged longitudinally on the outer side of the tube When the collar is turned, its notches i, embracing the ribs c, cause the tube O3, with turret and turn-table, to rotate together to any desired extent. -lVhile allowing the turret and tu rnetable to be thus turned, the collar allows the turret and tubes C3 C4 to be elevated by the forcing of water into the chamber E, the ribs c rising freely through the notches t' in the collar. lVhen, however, the turret and tube Oireach their highest adjustment, the lower'ends of the ribs c c pass above the collar I, and the latter may then by a swiveling motion be IOO turned, as shown in dotted lines, Fig. et, to cause its notches 'i to pass away from under the ribs c, and then the ribs rest upon the collar I and the weight of the turret is taken o of the water-cylinder below. The turret may now be rotated by its turn-table through 'a semicircle, so that the guns instead of pointing outboard in the lower plane, as shown in full lines, point inboard and above the level ot' the upper works, as shown in dotted lines, so as to concentrate their fire, with that of the guns on the otherside of the'ship,on an enemy on that side. It will thus be seen that the guns have two planes of lire. When in the lower plane and pointing outboard, only the upper and more heavily armored part of the turret projects above the barbettes, and when pointing inboard the lower and lighter portion of the turret is protected by the upper works of the ship.A l

I have not shown. any means for rotating the turn-table, as this forms no part of my invention. The heavy chain 'and sprocketwheel already in use for this purpose may be employed, or anyother system, such as gear v ing, may be used.

to the .swiveling collar I necessary tobring 'its notches into or out ot' alinement with the For giving the ,slight turn vertical ribs o a rigid arm (l may be 'made fast to the collar and motion imparted through the..

, The two main turrets-fore and aft-are in tended to have a rise of some six feet, while the turrets on the side, which ycontain the eight or six inch guns, are to have a rise of about five. feet.

In making use of my turret, with its double plane ofy tire, I lwould have it understood that in some situations it might be useful in coast defenses, and my invention comprehends that application of it.

In my invention the ammunition-tube II receives the charge through an opening in the side of the tube C3, between the turntable T and the water-line deck A2. The vertical space between these two pointsis great enough, as shown in Fig. 3, to allow access to be had to the ammunition-tube from the space between the deck A2 and turn-table when the turret is in its upper, as well as its lower, position. A car 2 runs on a circular track on deck A2 around the tube O3 to deliver ammunition to the tube, and this car may have` elevating devices for the charge.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-.-

justment adapted to give two planes of iire,

one outboard from the lower position, and the other across decks from the higher position substantially as and-for the purpose described.

3. In a war-ship the combination with a tur-r ret having its upper portion heavily armored and itsl lower portion lightly armored; of a barbette covering only the lower portion of the turret on the outboard side and extending the full height of the turret ontheinboard side substantially as described. f

4. The combination of a rising-aud-falling and rotating turret having a central tube or cylinder with rigid vertical and parallel ribs on .its exterior, a turn-table supporting the turret and having a swiveling collar with notches in its inner surface to receive'the said ribs, said collar hav-ing a rotary adjustment when the turret is in its highest position so as-to look under the ribs and support the turret as described. v

5. Ina war-ship. the vbarbette having ball- IOO bearings arranged in its inner faces, combined with a rising-and-falliug and rotating .turret adapted to movev vertically and horizontally over said ball-bearings, and means for adjusting the turret substantially as described. u

6. The combination with the barbette and the turret having a central tube with external ribs; of a subjacent turn-table supporting the turret and having a central'downwardlyprojecting Iiange embracing the tube ofthe y turret and carrying a series of hangers or bearings..containing a swiveling collar with internal notches substantially as and for the purpose described.'

7. In a war-ship a two-storied turret the upper portion being heavily armored and having a supporting-licor for the guns, and the IIO lower portion being lightly constructed and having a iioor with a central tube rising therethrough and connecting with and supporting the gun-floor substantially' as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this speciication in the presence ot' two subscribing witnesses.

GEORGE IV. VAN HOOSE.

Vitnesse's:

J. J. MAYFIELD, S. D. MoGEE.- 

